We Were Liars by E Lockhart Book Review

From Goodreads

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Published: May 13, 2014 by Delacorte Press

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE

With all of the hype surrounding this book, I was trying to not build this book up to much so I wouldn't be disappointed. I can't say I wasn't, but I can't say the hype is undeserved either.

I know everyone says to go into this book with as little information as possible, but that is what really makes the book so intriguing. You try to figure out the book along the way, giving it a mysterious element. I love the way the story is told, jumping around to different times throughout Cadence's life. The writing is really well done and the style fits well within the story. 

The ending was a little disappointing for me. I understood why the. Characters did what they did, but by not being fifteen, I was able to see the flaws in their plan as they concocted it and was just sitting there saying, No and why? While I didn't particularly like the way the book ended, I thought it was well done and was disappointed in myself for not seeing it sooner. 

There was only one thing I was confused about. I understand the thematic implications of why the book is called We Were Liars, but I can't figure out why they were called the liars?  Based on the information given to use, it didn't seem to me that they did an excessive amount of lying. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I've Read in 2014/Books on my Summer TBR

Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is brought to us by The Broke and the Bookish. Since I've missed a couple weeks worth of topics that I was really jazzed about, I figured I would replace this week's topic about book covers. And since I haven't read that many books in 2014, I thought I would include Books on my Summer TBR as well. So here is my Top Ten Books I've Read in 2014/Books on my summer TBR.

Books I've Read in 2014

1. Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
What can I say about this book? I read it in my Women Writers class and absolutely loved it. I can't really explain why I loved it except it spoke to something deep within me. This books does deal with heavy stuff and does contain a lot of trigger warnings so keep that in mind.

2. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
This is another book I read for school that I absolutely loved. This one is also spoke to something deep within me and I can't quite define why I liked it so much.

3. Split Second by Kasie West
I read Pivot Point last year and it did not disappoint.; the story was very engaging and I absolutely loved it as much as the first.

4. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
This year, I finally finished the Divergent series, and while there were flaws with this book, I really enjoyed.

5. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
While the ending of this book did disappoint me, I still enjoyed the writing and the way the story unfolded.

Books on my Summer TBR

1. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
This book! I started it last summer and was really enjoying it before my trip to Philadelphia. Then, I come home and it had been returned to the library. I really want to get my hands on it and finish it this summer.

2. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
I've had this book for awhile and have been wanting to read it. When I saw the trailer, I got excited about reading the book.

3. Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
I've been seeing this book everywhere this summer and I have been dying to read it.

4. The Athena Doctrine by John Gerzema and Michael D'Antonio
I saw this book recently and was very intrigued by it and would like to read it this summer.

5. The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer
I read a review on this book recently and was interested in it. I've also read Sarah Strohmeyer before and really enjoyed it.

Why It's Okay to Quit

My last post, which was over two weeks ago, dealt with the exhaustion I had been feeling in regards to working two jobs. That exhaustion, combined with other factors such as company disorganization and scheduling issues, allowed me to realize something very important: If something makes you unhappy, it's okay to quit.

I try to not be a "quitter". Though I did several different activities throughout elementary school, I always did them for several years before moving on to something else. I tried to stick with things I liked for as long as I possibly could.

However, I realized over these past two weeks that this job was draining me. Between the early morning, the long shifts and coordinating with my other job, it left me with very little time to do the things I wanted to do, such as blog, write, plan my wedding, or even spend time with my family or friends. I felt unbalanced; I was constantly working and never getting anything done.

So I decided to quit to pursue what I love to do and what I needed to do. And though this was a difficult decision, I think it will be worth it. Though I may miss the money I would have gotten from continuing with this job, I will keep my health and piece of mind. And I couldn't feel more relieved.

Have you ever been incredibly relieved to quit something, whether it be a job or an activity? Let me know in the comments.

Exhaustion

I originally had a different post planned for today, but last night as I was getting ready for bed, I could not understand just how tired I was. I was dragging my feet most of yesterday and took a remarkable amount of naps. 

This week has been exhausting. Returning from Indiana and starting both of my new jobs has left me tired. I think it must be the early mornings. Even though I try to go to bed early the night before work, I seem to wake up tired. Thankfully, I have a few days off so I can relax and recover. Although when I tried to sleep in today, I still woke up at 7. 

The thing about feeling exhausted is that it affects everything I do. I don't feel like going out and seeing friends, I don't feel like working on my blog, or even reading. I literally just want to sit and do nothing, maybe sleep. But I can't sleep too much because I need to sleep at night so I can be awake for work. So everything else in my life suffers otherwise. I'm sure after settling into my new job, my body will adjust accordingly, but until then it is a struggle.

I just wanted to share this because I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels exhausted. Have any of you experienced something similar? How do you combat being super tired? 

Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart

Photo from Goodreads

Title: The Treasure Map of Boys
Author: E. Lockhart
Published:July 27, 2010 by Delacorte Press

Ruby is back at Tate Prep, and it’s her thirty-seventh week in the state of Noboyfriend. Her panic attacks are bad, her love life is even worse, and what’s more:

Noel is writing her notes, Jackson is giving her frogs, Gideon is helping her cook, and Finn is making her brownies. Rumors are flying, and Ruby’s already-sucky reputation is heading downhill.

Not only that, she’s also: running a bake sale, learning the secrets of heavymetal therapy, encountering some seriously smelly feet, defending the rights of pygmy goats, and bodyguarding Noel from unwanted advances.
In this companion novel to The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book, Ruby struggles to secure some sort of mental health, to understand what constitutes a real friendship, and to find true love—if such a thing exists.

Since E. Lockhart just released a new book, I thought it would be fun to go back and finish her other works, such as the Ruby Oliver series.

Even though I didn't go to a fancy private school, I identify a lot with Ruby Oliver. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is, but a lot of what she says throughout the book makes me think, "Yeah, that's how I felt in high school." It was nice to revisit it through a character I identified with. She really grows a lot throughout this book, learning the value of friendships, what friends are worth keeping versus what friends are worth letting go. Ruby also learns to imagine people such as her parents and her therapist complexly and stand up for herself when needed.

As far as the plot is concerned, this book is still boy-centric. Yet Ruby is not necessarily chasing after boys. Instead, she is dealing with all of the silly boys around her and learning what is important to her. As she progresses through the book, she slowly begins to realizes that finding a boyfriend, while fantastic, is not her number one priority.

Overall, I would recommend continuing with the series if you have already started it and enjoyed it. The Treasure Map of Boys is what really did for me in terms of solidifying Ruby as one of my favorites narrators. Definitely pick up the series if you're looking for something light.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books for Your Beach Bag

Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is hosted by Broke and Bookish. This week's topic is "Top Ten Books for Your Beach bag". Though I don't live anywhere near a beach (read: middle of the United States) I have a beach bag because you never know. Here is my list of books I would put in that bag if I was going to the beach.

1. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

This book's release could not have been timed better. It is a great summer read, perfect for the beach. I read it while on my trip to Indiana and it was perfect. While I didn't absolutely love the book, I did still really enjoy it.

2. Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

This is my most anticipated summer read. This story sounds amazing, I love the font on the cover and I just can't wait to read it. 

3. The Selection series by Kiera Cass

I haven't finished this series yet, but if the last book is anything like the first two, this series is a very light read. It doesn't take a lot to get through these books.

4. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
The movie for this book comes out in the fall. Get ahead of the game and read it now, so you're ready when the movie comes out. I saw the trailer for it recently and it looks amazing.

5. Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter
If you're a student and midway through the summer, rest assured. This series about a girls' school for spies will whisk you away. Plus, there are five books in the series, plenty of reading material for summer.

6. The Summer I Turned Pretty series by Jenny Han
This series is perfect for summer, as it revolves solely around summertime. But it's not a cute, happy summer story. It's more complex than that.

7. Any really good, really long series
For some reason, summer is the best time to start really long, complex series in my opinion. Maybe it's because my mind isn't focused on other things such as school. Pick up a series you've been meaning to start, then marathon in until you're out of books to read. Sounds like a great summer.

8. A Field Guide for Heartbreakers by Kristin Tracey
I read this last summer and it was the perfect summer story about two best friends who go to Prague. Travel reads are fantastic!

9. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Speaking of travel reads, this is another one that is fantastic for summer. Maureen Johnson will make you laugh and make you think. All of her books are fantastic.

10. Anything you want
Seriously, it's summer. Don't let me tell you what to read.

What would you pack in your beach bag? Let me know if the comments. 

May in Review

Hey, everyone!

So today, I thought I would try something new. This post will wrap-up everything that has been going on with me in the last month, including books I read and bits about my personal life.

Books I Read in May:
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Short Stories Volume 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Volume 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart (Review Coming Soon)

Overall, I had a very good reading month. Participating in Bout of Books definitely helped me get back into the swing of reading things. I also got back into reading manga again.

Life Things that Happened in May
1. Finished off junior year of university! It was rough going for awhile, and I'm ready to finish off my last year!
2.Got two jobs for the summer, both of which I start tomorrow.
3. Went to Indiana with my fiance to see family. It was nice to get away for the weekend and see family we don't normally get to see.

What sort of exciting things happened to you in May? What books did you read? Let me know in the comments!